For the past few months, Christopher Nolan‘s space epic “Interstellar” has been highly buzzed about, but a lot of us were wondering how the film would stack up to last years Oscar winning “Gravity” directed by Alfonso Cuaron. The comparisons are natural, they are two highly acclaimed Directors’ take on space travel with Oscar winning actors and huge budgets. That’s where the comparisons end though, because both writer/directors take drastically different approaches, and one succeeded and one failed. Proving that in most cases, simplicity is the best policy.

“Interstellar” is set in a depressing dust-laden future where the world’s population is small, and the food supply is even smaller. It’s a bleek world, and seemingly nobody has any solutions to any of the problems, and are basically ready to become extinct. The movie focuses on Coop (Matthew McConaughey), a former NASA pilot, and his small family of two children and father in-law. Coop, with the help of his 10 year old daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy), happen upon coordinates that lead them to a hidden NASA station, and it just so happens that they need Coop to pilot a crew through a black hole to find a planet that the surviving humans can migrate to.

He accepts the challenge, and… well… space travel ensues. The crew flies to two planets and lose members, patience, and fuel along the way. While Coop is away, years fly by on Earth and his children age to the point where his son has his own family and his daughter (now played by Jessica Chastain) is working at NASA trying to help Professor Brand (Michael Caine) figure out a way to save earth, while still resenting her father for leaving the family to go on the mission.

Ultimately we find out that lies had been told, we find a lonely and conniving pilot from a previous mission (Matt Damon), there are fights, talks of love and family, talking robots and fifth dimensions.

“Interstellar” has it’s bits of intrigue, but overall it’s a movie that focuses more on the science then storytelling or character development. My biggest problem with the movie was that nearly all of the characters were so cliche and cookie-cutter, McConaughey’s Coop might as well have added a “yeee-haw” at the end of every line because he was such the charming-cowboy-hero cliche. Same with Anne Hathaway‘s brooding Brand, John Lithgow‘s cautious Grandpa and Foy’s precocious young Murph. None of the characters had any real depth or personality, so it was hard to really care for any of them. It’s really bad when the character with the most interesting and likable personality was TARS, the robot!

Overall, the writing of this movie failed. Not only were the characters terribly uninspired, but a lot of the dialogue came off as either extremely corny (Hathaway’s “love transcending space and time” speech) or way too technical. My assumption is that Christopher Nolan did some extensive research about space travel and time and gravity and alternate dimensions. He wanted to cram all he learned about all of this in the movie, and didn’t bother to take the time to write good characters that the audience would care about. The result being that the movie ended, and I didn’t care about anyone or anything at all.

The end of “Gravity”, for me, was the total opposite. Before I get into it, I saw the movie on opening day last year and was blown away, but never devoted a blog post about it. Alfonso Cuaron’s film opens with Kowalski (George Clooney) and Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), she is a doctor who has been sent to space for the first time to upgrade the ships hubble telescope. Before we know it, a cloud of debris wrecks their ship and kills the remaining crew, leaving those two to fend for themselves in space. Soon after this, Stone is all alone and we follow the space novice from one disaster to another as she finds the strength to survive and get home.

“Gravity” wins for a bunch of reasons, the suspense is especially intriguing as the viewer is on the edge of their seat through all of Stone’s perils that seem to come one after the other. The whole concept of being lost in space is a scary one, and Cuaron handles that mood expertly. Having the movie follow just the one character put us in her shoes, so the audience is basically trapped in space with her and we feel the terror and anxiety she feels.

The direction and cinematography of “Gravity” were also amazing, Cuaron did things that were so visually appealing, inventive and incredibly skilled. Certain shots and effects were so great because it felt like nothing we had ever seen before. The performances were also great, as Bullock’s fear and hopelessness and strength are all well felt, and Clooney’s short role was incredibly charming and a very strong presence that lasted until the end. The score of the film was also phenomenal in amping up the emotion and suspense.

Ultimately though, what makes “Gravity” that much more of a success than “Interstellar” is that Cuaron understood the concept of keeping it simple. Nolan, like I said before, seemed to invest way more into the science talk that it complicated the flow of the movie. We all aren’t science majors, and he shouldn’t have assumed that the viewers would understand all the technical dialogue (which, by the way, some important conversations were drowned out by the over-powering score).

“Gravity” was simplistic in that we followed one character, a character who has a limited knowledge of space travel (like most movie-goers) and is only focused on survival. A simple concept that is easy to follow. And being able to relate makes the emotional archs more powerful, if we don’t care or understand the characters we don’t care about what happens to them (I should add that the futuristic aspect of “Interstellar” was also something that made it hard for viewers to really relate, because it’s hard to imagine the dynamics of their future.) Thus Bullock’s ‘barking’ scene was much more powerful than any one of the MANY scenes where McConaughey broke down crying.

“Gravity” was also a lot more daring and inventive when it came to it’s effects and shots and writing, while I felt a lot of the supposedly awe-inspiring moments of “Interstellar” felt a little dated (for instance, the huge waves on the first planet they reached, that totally reminded me of 1989’s “The Abyss”). “Interstellar” just didn’t excite me, and that’s mostly because it was bogged down with the space talk and “Gravity” was just more a human story. So ultimately, what I’m saying is, K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid!).

Alright, I’ll be festive and go with the Halloween shenanigans of today.

I like all kinds of movies, including a good Horror movie, but sadly that genre has more duds than truly scary ones. With that in mind, it was incredibly easy for me to compile this list of my 10 Favorite Horror Movies, because it takes a lot to scare or shock me and this group of movies are the handful of Horror Movies that elicited real reactions of horror from me.

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!!

10. Drag Me To Hell

This movie wasn’t SCARY per-say, but it definitely falls into that Horror category based on the voodoo-esque theme of the movie. The film follows an innocent farm-girl (Alison Lohman) who has started a new life in the big city as Banker. She has no choice but to make an executive decision about an elderly gyspsy (Lorna Raver), who in turn puts a curse on poor Christine and terror ensues. Because I have such a strange sense of humor, I found the gorey and shocking moments hilarious. Sometimes that’s my reaction to really well done terrorizing moments, and Sam Raimi did an excellent job with this movie. Though it doesn’t scare me, it is totally entertaining and I watch it pretty regularly.

9. The Omen

This 70’s Classic is a classic for a few reasons. The idea of a demonic little boy torturing his mother so quietly and unassumingly is a chilling concept. The other reason is that the kid who was cast to play Devil-spawn Damien (Harvey Spencer Stevens) is perfect because at times you want to believe he’s a good kid underneath and most times you are scared to even look at him. The movie is also really well written, as mysteries unfold and the suspense builds. I often go years in between viewings, so I’m always intrigued and shocked at the details of the story.

8. Rosemary’s Baby

I’ve seen this movie several times, and I always tend to react the same way. “How could he?” is one major reaction I have when watching this film about an actor who literally sells his wife to the devil to boost his career. Mia Farrow, playing the titular character, does an amazingly subtle job of being the doting wife, and takes the character in a new direction once she realizes what is what. The end scene is always chilling, like the very first time you see the movie. CLASSIC stuff!

7. Alien

While most might dub this movie Sci-Fi, given the space travel and all that, the movie wins because it’s so suspenseful and scary. The now ICONIC character Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) watches her entire crew get picked off one by one by a beastly alien and eventually she’s stuck on this big dark spaceship with the mammoth monster. Ridley Scott is a genius, and the darkness of the cinematography just adds to the terror. We can’t forget about the classic shock-value scene when the alien is born! The rest of the “Alien” franchise went more in a Sci-Fi/Action direction, making this first one stand out because it’s so bone-chillingly terrifying.

6. The Blair Witch Project

Kudos to Daniel Myrick and company for approaching the Horror genre in a totally original way, a way that would set the trend for future subpar horror films (*cough, “Paranormal Activity”). The film is shot on a very lo-fi camcorder to add to the idea that it’s real (something the advertising wanted the masses to believe), and it follows three Documentarians who go to a small town to investigate the Blair Witch myth. Lots of complaints came in that nothing really happened, but I remember watching this in the theater and getting chills with very small things. Like the placement of rocks, or a huge wind chill, those little things mean more in the context and worked for me. The crew eventually gets lost in the woods and the Blair Witch messes with their minds in small but significant ways, leading up the unfortunate end. I think the movie was great, I haven’t watched it in a while, but I was truly scared when watching it and I always appreciate something creative and new.

5. The Thing

Even with the limited special effects of the time, this movie STILL grosses me out, and in a good way. The story of a crew stuck in the Antarctic with a shape-shifting, body-snatching, killer alien among them is so scary because you just never know who is who and what is what. Although it is sort of a pyschological scare, the effects are so well placed and the cast is really good at selling the fear and paranoia a situation like that would cause. Easily one of John Carpenter‘s finest moments.

4. Scream

This 1996 flick resurrected the slasher film, and in such an intriguing and interesting way. The teenagers tormented in this small town by a mask wearing psycho killer were so cynical and immune to death and horror that they laughed at the clichés. Making the movie part comedy, but also amping up the actual horror because it always came so unexpectedly. Wes Craven did a great job, and the writing on this movie is so quick and witty and scary and gruesome. It’s amazing they were able to find the balance between the humor and horror, and that’s why it will go down as a 90’s Classic.

3. Poltergeist

Like “Scream”, this movie combines a sense of comedy with the horrific idea of a family being haunted by evil spirits who have kidnapped their youngest child. I love the movie though because the Freeling family are set up to be so likable and down to earth, so we viewers relate to them before any of the ghostly shenanigans take place. Once they do start happening, the actors do a great job of reacting realistically (kudos to Oliver Robbins who seemed TRULY terrified during the Tree-incident). Ultimately it’s a very entertaining and fun movie, with some really terrifying effects and moments of shock.

2. The Shining

I saw this movie last year in a theater, and when I tell you it scared me to my core… I’m not exaggerating. I was in the theater shivering and just overwhelmed with fear. The whole concept of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) with his wife and kid secluded in this huge hotel during the winter is frightening enough, add the fact that the kid can hear people’s inner thoughts and see and hear grotesque ghosts in the hotel. And add the fact that Daddy Torrance is getting crazier by the moment, you’ve got a story that is bound to give you nightmares. Stanley Kubrick‘s direction is what really makes this movie so frightening. The different techniques and directorial decisions he made pay off, because as a viewer you are NEVER at ease and constantly in suspense. It’s so creepy and sinister and … well see for yourself.

1. The Exorcist

When I was 10, I was told this was the scariest movie ever made… and I thought I could handle it. Well, I couldn’t sleep for over a week because the movie just warped my fragile little mind, and I didn’t even watch the entire thing. Years later as an adult, I have to agree that this movie is THE scariest movie, and not just because of all the head-spinning, crucifix masturbation, and projectile vomit. The movie is really scary with the unspoken and unseen elements. I have to give credit to Linda Blair who completely sold the idea that she was an innocent little girl whose body had been taken over by the devil. And Ellen Burstyn gives a KNOCK OUT performance of the worried and frightened mother, who has no choice but to call in an Exorcist to remove the devil from her daughters body. I have yet to read the book, but I’ve heard it’s even scarier than this flick, so … it might take me a while to muster up the courage to read it.

The highly buzzed about “Dear White People” had it’s national release this past weekend, and the movie was well worth the wait. The hilarious viral campaigns that have flooded the net promised a funny, biting, social commentary about the state of the US and it’s race issues. The movie didn’t disapoint, as those short videos and meme’s only scratched the surface of what Director, Writer, Producer and all around awesome visionary Justin Simien wanted to accomplish with this film.

The main feeling I was left with was one of joy that Simien got a chance to have his voice heard with this movie. You get the feeling that Simien has some amazing work ahead of him, because the characters in “White People” are so diverse, detailed, complex , intelligently written and REAL that makes it certain that Simien has more than enough material for some interesting movies down the line. There is no doubt that he can provide that interesting and new perspective that Hollywood NEEDS.

On top of that he’s a skilled filmmaker, which “Dear White People” proves. There was so much going on in the film, I actually feel like I need to watch it a second time to do a proper analysis. It’s understandable that so much was crammed into the movie, because Simien was trying to get a point across. A very big and broad scope had to be covered, and as difficult a task that is I have to congratulate him for getting everything in there and still maintaining a plot that was easy to follow.

“White People” takes place at Winchester University, a prestigious fictitious college dominated by white students (eh, like most colleges) and a spattering of blacks and other ethnicities. The film begins with tension about a new policy that forces students to randomly select the Houses they will live in, which the black students take offense to because it seems like it’s an undercover way to break up black culture in the school. While some of the white students are more concerned about their annual Halloween party and what the theme should be. All of this results in rallies, confrontations, misunderstandings and ultimately a riot. In between, the main characters go through typical College growing pains of identity, fitting in, dating and the like.

So, what did Simien want to say to white people? I think a lot of it has to do with the varying degrees of black characters in the movie. There’s Lionel (Tyler James Williams) a nerdy gay black gay who has a history of being tormented by other black kids, and is currently being tormented by his white house mates. On a personal note, I so related to this character and his aversion to trying to change himself to fit into a group, although he wants so desperately to fit in. Which leads him to some questionable reporting for the school’s paper and the sleazy editor George (Brandon Alter).

There’s Coco (Tyonah Parris), the bougie girl from the Southside of Chicago who wants to escape her “ghetto” roots and find herself a “Gosling” (white boy). Troy (Brandon T. Bell) is the son of the Dean of Students (Dennis Haysbert) who is on track to become the next Obama, although what he really likes to do is write jokes and smoke weed when no one is looking. And of course there’s Sam (Tessa Thompson), the half black voice of the College radio station and creator of the controversial “Dear White People” segment of her broadcast. She’s the rebellious one, but she hides A LOT about herself from her league of supporters.

Tyonah Parris does an amazing acting job as the bougie Coco Conners

It’s great that the movie presented all of these different archetypes of black people, as a way to say “We are not all the same, We all don’t think a like, We even have different thoughts and views on race issues”. In the end, the main point is to show that even with the different similarities, these characters all have the same basic wants and needs. The films presents these characters who are really unsure of themselves and their motivations, as outside forces are convincing them they need to be this or that. What they all really want is to be understood for the people they are on the inside.

The entire cast does an excellent job in making Winchester feel real. The stand out performances come from Bell and Parris who are the two characters (imo) with the most internal conflict about what they SHOULD be and who they want to be. Funny thing is, with all the complex qualities about each character, they are all likable.

Like I said earlier, the film needs multiple viewings because there is so much to cling to, each character is so detailed that they’d make interesting lead characters on their own. Even Kurt (Kyle Gallner), the son of the President (Peter Syvertsen) and the obvious villain, clearly has some inner issues that weren’t really delved into, I’d be interested to know more about him. Same goes for every single character, because at the end the viewer is so invested in their lives that we want to know what happens next.

So yeah, Justin Simien has become my new Idol. He weaved some very interesting characters with great writing, great jokes, and great commentary on the state of the US and race. I look forward to hearing more from his unique voice.

Like I said yesterday, I have been trying to wrap my words around this post and for whatever reason it’s been really difficult. Instead of just scrapping the whole idea, I’m going to write it out and post it. So this is going to be more like a Thesis statement as opposed to the final Essay. I’m sure you won’t mind, so here goes…

Some time last week, I read online that the 90’s Camp classic “Tremors” was going to be remade. This joins a long list of 80’s and 90’s flicks that are getting the Hollywood Makeover for the newest generation. I am not alone in getting slightly annoyed with each of these announcements, but after complaining about how it seems Hollywood has lost ALL creativity and originality, I wanted to really analyze this trend and figure out where to point the finger, and how to end it… if at all possible.

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

“Gremlins”, one of my faves from the 80’s, is supposedly on the fast track to get remade.

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, and like most of my peers, we feel like these remakes are unnecessary and a little disrespectful. I think these remakes effect us on a personal level, because a lot of these movies like “Poltergeist” and “Gremlins” are such a part of our youth, it feels like our memories are going to be tarnished.

The other thing is that it feels like our Generation of Movies was so much more creative, and it looks like Hollywood is being lazy and exploiting our favorites for a quick buck.

When you think about it, the 80’s were the decade when the Sequel became a requirement for any big Box Office movie. There have always been sequels, for instance “Bride of Frankenstein” and “Son of Kong“, but with all of our “Friday the 13th“‘s “Die Hard“‘s and “Star Trek“‘s, we definitely took things to a new level. It’s funny, because you have to think that the way WE feel about Hollywood now is probably the way the previous generation felt about all those crappy sequels and remakes that came out in our time. We’ve become our parents, griping about the way things used to be and talking down about things now.

TECHNOLOGY BE DAMNED

One of the biggest catalysts for all of these Reboots and Remakes has a lot to do with modern technology and the things we can do nowadays with CGI. “Tron” or “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” for instance were remakes that benefited from the enhanced effects techniques, but the “Tron” remake came nearly 30 years after the original, a good amount of time in my opinion. It gets ridiculous when you have “The Amazing Spiderman“, which came only 5 years after “Spiderman 3“. There was absolutely no need for this Reboot, but because the 3D technology was so big (and studios and theaters could charge $5 more for them) the project was greenlit. So sometimes Hollywood will Reboot or Remake a Movie just for the simple fact that they think it might look “cooler” with more CGI, but a lot of times too much CGI takes away the heart of a Movie. That was my biggest complaint about the “Tremors” remake, the original was good because of the limited budget for effects, throwing in too much would take away some of the fun of the original idea.

CAN’T BLAME THE YOUTH

All of these Remakes and Reboots and Prequels, that are clearly made to make a quick buck, wouldn’t be as popular if people didn’t go pay money for a ticket. However, you have to think about who is actually going to the movies nowadays, and it’s Teens. But let’s not get too down on the youth, because going to the Movies is less about loving the art form it’s more of a social experience. Kids go to the Movies on the weekends to get out of the house and share laughs and conversations with their friends, they’ll literally go to anything that’s not sold out that day.

“The Hunger Games”, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, a sign that there is SOME originality at the Movies.

To their credit, films like “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight” have been doing great numbers and are NEW ideas in Hollywood. Sure, they are based on popular Young Adult books – but producing them takes more effort and creativity than just re-doing an already established Movie and sometimes plucking dialogue word for word.

Obviously the youth doesn’t have the same attachments to those older franchises like WE do. And as much as we would love for the youth to watch and appreciate the originals, if you remember being that young you’d know that you can’t force teens to watch something they deem as “OLD”. So we can’t blame them for the desecration of our favorites.

CURIOSITY KILLS

So if we can’t blame the youth, and we can’t really blame Hollywood for wanting to make some money, it falls back on US. Us 25 through 40 year olds who grew up with these Movies tend to trash the idea of Reboots and Remakes, but once the Movies finally come to theaters it’s almost an uncontrollable urge (Devo!) to go and see how trashy they are. And it’s understandable, if you compare a Movie remake to a remake of a favorite song, 9 times out of 10 we will check out the remade song just to see what the new artist did with it. Same with Movies, we might go to check out what Hollywood has done with say “Total Recall” knowing it won’t compare to the original. We go to prove ourselves right, but Hollywood only sees that our $14 or $20 went into their pockets. So, ultimately, we need to suppress our curiosities and know that our version was and always will be the best.

BOTTOM LINE

“Pulp Fiction”, a big Box Office smash that changed Hollywood because it was so different. A good example of what needs to happen now.

Hollywood is obsessed with money, the Youth is obsessed with what’s New, and we become the bitter old people who never thought we’d be saying “back in my day”. Us as moviegoers sometimes can’t resist what the media forces down our throats, but we should TRY to do better. The only thing that ever changes a trend in Hollywood is that ONE uniquely fresh Film, like “Pulp Fiction“, that throws out all of the rules and conventions and becomes a blockbuster. Until something like that happens, Hollywood will continue to be lazy because they figure the crowds are dumb enough to accept their laziness. So, let’s not be dumb anymore.

So, I have been trying for a few days now to get my words together and write a post about all the unnecessary Remakes and “Re-Boots” that Hollywood has been pushing out lately. It annoys me, mainly because a lot of them are Remakes of Classic 80’s Movies which is my Generation. But I wanted to really analyze WHY this is happening, and if anything can be done to stop them.

While I still try to wrap my head around THAT post, I wanted to keep my #TopTenThursday consistent. So here is a Top 10 list that’s related to my as-yet-unpublished-Post. It’s MYFAVORITE Movie Remakes of All Time, the Remakes that manage to be just as good, and sometimes better, then their originals. As we know, most remakes are crap, but I was surprised to find there were so many worthy Remakes – I didn’t think I would even find 10.

Since time is a bit of an issue (I’m at work Yo!), I’m just gonna post the list without my witty (lol) descriptions.

It’s still Tuesday somewhere. Actually it is here in California, but I’m just now posting this. Sorry for the delay.

Remember that time I posted my Top 100 Favorite Movies!? Well it’s since been deleted, and I re-ordered the list with plans on posting my Top 100 once again. I hadn’t done it yet, and I actually totally scrapped the idea, but it dawned on me that I should post at least the Top 25 for #TopTwentyFiveTuesday. I’m planning another Movie related post this week, and I thought it might be cute to have #TopTwentyFiveTuesday and #TopTenThursday be Movie themed.

So here goes, my Top 25 All Time Favorite Movies.

25. “Working Girl“

This corporate RomCom from 1988 is one of those Movies I’ll watch whenever it’s on. There’s something about the whole working class versus business class angle that appeals to me. Add to that there’s great comedic turns from the female leads Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver and Joan Cusack that make this a film that wins on all fronts. It’s also an inspiring story. I’m no female, but Tess’ struggles for empowerment in male dominated business makes her an easy character to root for and fall in love with.

24. “Cabaret”

Bob Fosse‘s Directorial debut is so classic, so sexy, so dark, and so ahead of it’s time. When I first saw it, I was actually shocked at the topics they covered – Bisexuality, Abortion, Violence – and unlike some musicals, Fosse never sugar-coats anything. The tone, the feel, the look of the movie is appropriately dark and gritty and ultra-sexual, but the performances by Liza Minnelli and Michael York provide a lightness and create characters you truly feel for. Great story and of course amazing dancing and songs.

The clip below I posted just because it’s the song that stuck with me on my most recent viewing of the movie. It’s from a pivotal moment in the movie, but it doesn’t lead where the characters think it will.

23. “South Park : Bigger Longer & Uncut”

Being the big “South Park” fan I am, all I have to say about this movie is that it’s Hilarious, Classic, Witty and Smart, just like the show. Another thing I’ll say… How about a sequel though (and please don’t let Randy Marsh take over like he’s been doing on recent episodes of the show – he gets on my nerves)

Here is one of the more hysterical songs in this off-kilter musical. It addresses the main topic of profanity and censorship that drive the Movie.

22. “Beetlejuice”

Tim Burton at his weirdest and funniest. This dark comedy about the after life has the Burton stamp by being funny, kooky and visually engaging. Add the inimitable acting job of Michael Keaton as the title character, and actually the great acting by the entire cast including Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, and even Glenn Shadix as the snobby Otho. They each bring their own spark to the film, matched with the great visual it’s a fun time Movie.

And of course, the most popular “possessed” scene in the Movie.

21. “Reservoir Dogs”

As you’ll see, I’m a big Quentin Tarantino fan. This film, his Directorial debut, is a master class in his Film making expertise. It’s very simple with hardly any frills, but there is true horror and suspense in just the things the characters say, showing that one can be effective in great storytelling without showing every single thing.

I love this scene, because that’s one thing in my opinion that Tarantino excels at… writing dialogue that feels and sounds like REAL people talking. Also, there’s some exposition here that is so subtly placed, another one of his gifts.

20. “Star Trek”

Not only is the casting great here, but the genius idea to take this beloved franchise and put it in a parallel universe was original in a time when originality seemed dead. JJ Abrams did a bang up job with the pacing, the look, and again the casting which is the movies biggest coupe. Go Read my Original Review, which I wrote after I was blown away the first time.

I love this scene because it was a great, intense, fast paced, and actually kind of funny scenes (like the Red suit guy being all amped!) in the whole Movie. One of many thought.

19. “Do The Right Thing“

This classic was a really big deal when it was first released in 1989, and watching it all these years later I see why. Spike Lee, in his finest Movie ever, gives us vivid characters and a colorful backdrop to address issues of race. In the end, viewers are forced to have discussions about what happened in the Movie and what is happening in our world. In that respect, Lee succeeded in a major way. Almost 25 years later, people still have heated discussions about this hot summer day in Brooklyn.

18. “What’s Love Got To Do With It”

Tina Turner had a hell of a life. Ups, Downs, Triumphs, Struggles, and while this Biopic seems to only scratch the surface of her volatile marriage to Ike Turner and her Epic comeback, it’s damn entertaining and has become a classic. It’s well-paced and features some great music, but most importantly it features two incredibly strong performances from Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.

And of course, the highlight of the movie Music-wise is the “Proud Mary” montage which is one of the best Musical moments in Film.

17. “Poltergeist“

This is undoubtedly a Horror movie, and one of the Best, it’s full of ghosts and slime and terrorizing clowns. But what makes it great, is the humorous and satirical commentary on suburban living, and the laughs that come from a seemingly very normal and relateable family. It’s an interesting layer to the movie that adds to the fright.

16. “The Avengers”

This EPIC could have easily failed. If it was from bad casting, trying to do too much with the visual effects, adding a sappy love story, or if it was directed by Michael Bay. Luckily, the Marvel Universe picked the perfect Director in Joss Whedon, managed to draft the perfect script, and casted the perfect actors to bring these comic book heroes to life in a huge way. Flawless film.

And this is my favorite action sequence in the Movie, Thor versus Iron Man in a true “knock down drag out” fight.

15. “There Will Be Blood”

I’m a big Paul Thomas Anderson fan, and the genius he displays with this Excellent film confirms he’s one of the modern greats. Not only does Daniel Day Lewis act his ass off, with Paul Dano being a worthy nemesis, but the risk taking Direction from Anderson makes this his finest movie. The opening scene which has no dialogue, the horrific beauty of the oil eruption are cinematic art. There’s also lots of layers and complexities with the characters, it’s undeniably engaging and intriguing. It’s a perfectly done movie that speaks to many a issue.

This scene is one of my favorites, and one I think back and analyze over and over, shows the supposedly “godly” Eli trying to humiliate Plainview. Really powerful scene that says a lot about both characters.

14. “National Lampoon’s Vacation”

The Griswolds and their road trip to Wally World is an 80’s Comedy Classic, and one that I can watch over and over and laugh every single time. Chevy Chase was really in his prime playing this goofy suburban dad who is pushed to the brink of insanity trying to give his family the best Summer vacation ever, but failing hilariously at every step.

Poor dog!

13. “Grindhouse”

This collection is underrated among both Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez fans, but both films are actually incredible on their own. Put together with those hysterical mock-trailers, this was a creative idea that pays homage to classic B-rate cinema. “Planet Terror” is nearly perfect with it’s casting, one liners and b-movie gore, Rodriguez definitely succeeded in emulating that ohn Carpenter style of Movie while putting together an great story with stand out characters. Tarantino’s “Death Proof” has some of the best car stunts you’ll ever see, along with some great writing. Oh and Kurt Russell is both menacing and hilarious in maybe one of his best performances.

This scene is an example of the greatness of “Death Proof”, and Ill admit I have a sick side… I cracked up laughing the first time I saw this, because it was too good and unexpected.

12. “The Exorcist“

Though it still gives me chills to this day, I remember being 9 years old watching this movie for the first time. A week after, I still couldn’t sleep, making it the scariest Movie I’ve ever seen (“The Shining” probably gets the runner up prize). Watching it as an adult, you have to appreciate the fine performance by Ellen Burstyn and the suspenseful direction that William Friedkin took with the heart stopping story.

11. “West Side Story”

The quintessential Musical, the Musical that showed all the other Musicals how it’s done. The opening scene (below) sets the tone perfectly. With the ultra-cool choreography from Jerome Robbins, reality is gone and the viewer is sucked into this violently tragic love story set to beautiful and legendary songs and dancing.

10. “Jaws“

The amazing thing about Steven Speilberg‘s box office classic is that even with the limitations of technology at the time, the titular Great White Shark is still scary as hell. It’s because Speilberg is such a creative Director, armed with a great cast and down to earth script that put the viewer right on the beach with the people in the film.

9. “Inglourious Basterds”

The casting in this movie is phenomenal, the script is flawless (okay except for one thing – ask me in my comments what that one thing is), and the Direction is genius. But at this point, what else would you expect from the Master Tarantino? I honestly thought I’d be let down for some reason, but once you experience the tour de force performances from Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent (who was robbed of at least an Oscar nomination), once you dig into the meaty and highly entertaining script, there’s no way you can say this isn’t a Masterpiece.

This is one of Tarantino’s most well-written scenes, it includes one thing I can’t figure out, I love how suspenseful and unpredictable it is, and how it turns out.

Though I’ll admit, some parts of this Classic are hard to watch, overall you have to appreciate the genius of Tarantino in his big breakthrough flick that changed the entire Movie making industry.

One of my favorite scenes, and this is a fairly early scene to set the tone.

6. “Thelma & Louise“

It’s a Road Trip Movie, it’s a Car chase Movie, it’s a Female bonding Movie, it’s a coming of age movie. Ultimately it’s just an Amazing movie with two fine actresses giving us their best work, and a new screenwriter showing Hollywood that sometimes you have to look outside of the machine to bring something truly timeless and groundbreaking to the table. This Movie always gives me that combination of laughter and sadness and terror and edge of my seat action, and all perfectly balanced and handled expertly by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis.

5. “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy”

Like “The Avengers”, this Trilogy had so much potential to fail, but thanks to Peter Jackson, WETA and Andy Serkis , along with the rest of the cast of course, these three Masterpieces will definitely stand the test of time.

This is probably my favorite scene from all three, I only wished I could have seen it on the big screen. (I’m sure that time will come again though, just hopefully not in a botched re-release a la Lucas!)

4. “Airplane”

This is the definition of Slapstick, a quintessential Comedy flick that should be studied. It’s the FUNNIEST movie you ever will see, with so many hilarious running gags and one liners and parodies that have stood to the test of nearly 40 years.

3. “Chicago”

This is what I’d call a Modern Classic, and that’s because it’s excellent any way you look at it. An amazing cast with strong characters, a constantly unpredictable script and story, Amazing dance numbers and staging. Great songs, great costumes, great cinematography. Everything about this Musical is excellent and I can’t get enough.

And obviously if I’m picking scenes to highlight why one should watch said Movie, “Cell Block Tango” is gonna be the one. Just amazing, truly one of the Best Musical Sequences of All Time… and High on the list.

2. “Batman“

Read about this in my “Best/Worst Comic Book Movies“, but I’ll just quickly say that Tim Burton’s version of “Batman”, and his dark take on the Comic Book world was so different it blew my mind as a child and made me want to become a Director. Not many Movies have that influence, just great ones. Clearly this is a Great one.

1. “Purple Rain“

What can I say? I Love music, I Love Movies and I Love Prince. This semi-autobiographical Movie about the Purple one, though lacking in any real acting talent or screenwriting skills, remains a highly entertaining Movie I can enjoy, reminisce and dance my ass off with. The amazing music and performance sequences seal the deal, laced with some humorous bits, it’s great because it’s a true time capsule of that time of Music and a peak into who the “mysterious” Prince was.

#Confession , I have been thinking lately about what I plan to do with this blog. There were four ideas that I had, but I couldn’t find the energy or patience to actually post them. Being honest, the lack of views on my blog discourages me from giving my all to the posts because it seems like a waste after it all. I enjoy writing, but if my writing doesn’t really reach people than I might as well just journal to myself, right. Having said all of that, I’ve been surprised over the past three years which posts got the most views, and THAT’s what this post is all about.

It’s almost like the Billboard Hot 100, where you might like a certain number of songs listed, but the list would be totally different if they were all of your favorites. I’m going to show you my Top 10 Most Viewed posts, and than I will list my personal favorite posts. Should be interesting right!?

Back in 2012, I decided to introduce a weekly Top 10 List. It was short lived, but this particular week was the most popular. And I can only guess that it has to do with the title, a portion of Nicki Minaj’s “Come on a Cone” (the #9 song for the week).

It’s funny that this is my most viewed Grammy post, because as you’ll read in the first paragraph I totally didn’t give a crap that year. I eventually built up enough energy to write a very cynical take on the Grammy’s trending from honoring talent to honoring record sales.

Though I did grow to like HBO’s series “Looking” (as evidenced in not one, but two additional posts), it still bothers me that so many networks and Hollywood studios bombard viewers with white actors for fear they will lose profits if they *gasp represent what America actually looks like. I was actually really proud of this article and happy that it got a good number of views.

This was a total spur of the moment post, and I’m surprised at all the comments and views it got. At the time, The Weeknd was HIGHLY buzzed about and I couldn’t figure out why. Anyway I won’t get into my feelings about the high pitched crooner, just read it.

It was #MDNA Week on my blog, and I felt this Top 10 list was mandatory since Madonna is such an amazing visual artist. Being a huge fan, it was a little hard to sort the list but overall it was fun to do. Looking back, I still stand by my rankings 100% and apparently the fans did too.

Every few weeks I check my stats, and for the past year or so this Top 10 list has almost always been in the Top. Like the Madonna list, I’m still proud of my rankings and stand by them, but more importantly this list also reminds me how Great Janet was in her day.

This was a project that I spent lots of time thinking about, drafting and ranking. I picked the weekend that “The Avengers” was released to theaters in 2012 to post it, and I’m really proud of what I came up with. This actually became a popular post, and the feedback I got was that most people agreed with my choices which felt good. I’ll probably update the list when the next “Avengers” flick comes out.

So not only was this a tad difficult to rank, but those small little YouTube bars were a bitch to code. However I’m very pleased this is among my highest viewed posts because I do feel it’s a good representation of Kanye’s career as a Producer and I never feel like I left anything great out.

This is the only post on this list that came from my original Blogger blog. I need to do more of these Discography Reviews because I feel that it not only educates readers who may not know much about Prince or other artists, but I also feel like these really flex my writing muscle. Especially when it comes to Prince, whose music and genius is hard to describe.

Kanye West and Jay-Z and the picture that lead to the most views on my blog.

1,769 views

Gotta say that I’m a little shocked that this is the Top post on my blog. Shocked because other posts from the “Watch the Throne” week didn’t fair as well, my other “Track by Track” reviews didn’t either. My theory as to why this did so well was the picture I attached, because sometimes pics can drive people to your blogs. Either way, it’s a good post and happy that people enjoyed it for whatever reason.

One thing I love about the Internet age is the fact that pretty much everything ever recorded is available. That is what this post was based on, the idea that instead of just twiddling our thumbs for the latest new releases we should go back and discover the music that came before us. I love the idea behind this post, and even though it didn’t get lots of views I hope it inspired the few people that did read it.

This was easily my finest attempt at a Year In Music post. They are always difficult, not only because of the content and figuring out who and what should be included, but the visual aspect of these Year End posts is tricky. Mainly, I love the way this post LOOKS above all else. I love how everything is really streamlined and everything is the appropriate size. It’s just a good looking post, and I feel like my choices were pretty accurate to what I was enjoying that year (which in hindsight was a pretty decent year for music).

As you will read in the actual post, I got pretty addicted to YouTube and the world of the Webseries while I was living in New York City. In a lot of ways, these Webseries that I spoke on have lots of qualities that make them better than most mainstream Television and I wanted to shine a light on the Andrea Lewis’ and Adam Goldman’s of the world.

(Yikes, my pictures on this post have gone away) This was a fun post to write because it talks about the confusing duality of the MTV Video Music Awards – which are great and horrible at the same time. This turned into a way more interesting post than I had originally intended and I think it makes for a great read because of it.

I guess I thought I got cool the months leading up to this post about the Indie Music landscape, I was really happy to share my favorite finds that not too many mainstreamers were aware of. Sure I’m not HIPSTERUNOFF or Pitchfork, but I think I did a good job of noting and describing my favorite underground artists and their unique music. More than all of that, I was so pleased to find that the title “A Year in the Indies” hadn’t been used anywhere else on the net (or at least anywhere in my Google search of the title).

It’s fun to play A&R Rep from my cubicle at work. Knowing that my ideas had a small chance of being heard by the powers that be, I found this Career Advice idea to be a fun and creative one. It started out with Beyonce after she gave birth to her daughter Blue Ivy, I matched ‘Yonce up with the likes of James Blake and How to Dress Well. For Christina, I flirted with the idea of her going more Disco/Funk/Soul with Nile Rodgers and Toro Y Moi. I should do more of these Career Advice posts (I’m thinking of doing one for Usher), these two will set the pace and I actually always enjoy reading these.

Officially, my #FICTIONFriday idea was a major flop. I’m a little sad about it because I really wanted some feedback on my creative writing projects, alas there’s no sense in complaining about it. And instead of bombarding this list with all of the Fiction posts, I am picking this one because it has become one of my writing projects that is near and dear to my heart. It’s about a high school kid in the late 60’s who is ashamed of loving The Beatles, and his attempts to hid his new purchase from friends and family. I love it! I was hoping more people would, but at the end of the day I can only be proud of myself for even trying the very ambitious #FICTIONFriday project.

These two were covered above, and clearly I was pleased that they got as many views as they did. A combination of hard work, creativity and also a bit of urgency to get my thoughts and opinions out there.

A “Jersey Shore” fight, and an example of how low Reality Shows have stooped.

256 views

For one, I LOVE this title. Two, I love the content and how I was able to give a History of the Reality Show and just exactly the factors that have changed them. Three, I was happy I was able to illustrate how these shows are affecting culture. This was a really well rounded article in my opinion, and I am always happy when I’m able to clearly put down in words all of the random thoughts in my head.

So that’s It. I don’t want to just abandon this blog, but I have to get focused on other things (school and career wise) and I might just take a hiatus on the blog. On the other hand, I’m thinking of coming up with more simple and thus more frequent blog posts in the forms of Top 10 lists and things like that. I’m still feeling it out, but I will keep you all posted.

It’s just interesting to see which posts struck a chord and which didn’t, and trying to find a pattern of what might work in the future.

And a BIG THANK YOU to all the supporters and readers of this blog, those that have liked and shared, and those that have just enjoyed what I contribute to the Blogosphere.

The sequel to “Thor” was released this past weekend, and it seemed to fulfill a huge need for a great Superhero movie for this year. Yes, we got “Man of Steel” in the summer but that was slightly disappointing, as was “Iron Man Three” that came out in May (check my YouTube reviews for both, here and here). I’m happy to say that “Thor The Dark World” exceeded expectations and delivered in various aspects. Just like the first “Thor”, the movie was a great mix of action and humor and sci-fi and fantasy with some great performances and some really amazing and unique visual moments.

In the post-“Avengers” world, Thor (the amazingly attractive Chris Hemsworth) has been busy in Asgard making peace in the nine realms while on earth his love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has been trying to move on with life and forget about her scientific research. Things get a little strange when the nine realms begin to align, creating portals to different worlds, and Jane finds herself lost in and underground cave and infected with the dangerous liquid stone Aether that has been locked away for centuries. This re-awakens an Asgard enemy Malekith who is hell bent on destroying the world, and the action ensues.

All of the familiar faces pop up, Thor’s “adopted” brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is great at bringing some humor into his maliciousness, Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) is hilarious as the nutty professor (which makes sense given what happened to him in “The Avengers”, and like in the previous “Thor” Darcy (Kat Dennings) provides her quirky comic relief. Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo and a host of others reprise their roles as well and there’s even a small cameo from Captain America’s Chris Evans (a very funny cameo). The whole movie felt very familiar because we were getting back to the people we came to love (or hate) in the first film, but with a new plot line and more action. And this is why action sequels tend to be better than the firsts, the originals set everything up and the sequels are allowed more time for action and story and “The Dark World” definitely falls in line with some other great action sequels.

Chris Hemsworth is amazing and the perfect person for this role with his balance of charm, brute and sincerity. I couldn’t imagine anyone else making this character seem so real and so likable, and definitely no one else could be as sexy in subtle moments like a simple holding of a hand or a smirk. It should also be noted that this sequel was in the hands of a new director Alan Taylor who I feel did a great job, although one complaint might be that the CG was a bit over-used at times. “The Dark World” was just a fun time at the movies, not too serious but not too corny, a nice balance which I feel “Man of Steel” and “Iron Man Three” failed at.

Who isn’t excited for “The Avengers” today!! A HUGE Comic Book flick, and really the first one to merge different franchises together. I can’t wait to see how it turns out, and I should be writing a review soon. But first… here’s something that’s been waiting to get posted for a long while… enjoy!

When it comes to translating classic Comic Book heroes to the big screen, there have been loads of misses and a few great hits. It doesn’t seem like an easy thing to take characters that are decades old with legions of super fans waiting to knock any inconsistency and plot hole. Some film makers try and fail to cater to the fan-boys while some do their own thing to mixed results.
I haven’t seen every single Comic Book film of course, but here’s my attempt to dissect the best and the worst adaptations in the history of film.
(I actually had a listing a few years ago on Flixster, but on this list I’m trying to eliminate Graphic Novels and only talk about the weekly serials that have become iconic over the years. And if I’m wrong about something feel free to leave a comment and let me know)

>> The Worst!
These are the 10 films that for whatever reason did not satisfy the requirements of a great Comic Book translation, or even the requirements of a halfway decent film.

10. The PunisherThe only reason I even know about the Marvel character Punisher is through my Uncle, who was a huge fan. There have been a few attempts to make this violent and controversial comic into a movie and I’ve only seen one. The 2004 Thomas Jane one, and the problem with putting the Punisher on film is simply it can’t work. Unless it’s an Indie film and not aiming for a mainstream crowd, the content is way too risky to work and most times the writers behind the adaptations are too scared to take those risks and it ends up being a stale half-ass version of what made the comic great.

9. Kick AssThank God this movie had Chloë Grace Moretz , the little girl who stole this rather uneventful film about teen heroes. This movie could have been great, but it got really bogged down in trying to be serious at times that a lot of the fun and humor it should have had was totally lost. (And this is where I’m uncertain, I can’t figure out if this was a Graphic Novel or a legit Comic Book! I might have to re-edit!?)

8. Spiderman 3
How to Ruin a Great Franchise 101! 1. Add one too many villains that don’t seem related to each other at all, it will totally ruin the flow of the movie. 2. Endlessly Hype the show down between Spidey and his arch nemesis Venom, and than save it until the very last portion of the movie. 3. Forget about trying to balance dumb slap stick comedy sequences with uber-serious and intense scenes. Just a mess all over.

7. Jonah HexJust couldn’t get into this fantastical Cowboy comic crap, Megan Fox seemed totally mis-cast (and gratuitous), and there was no chemistry between her and star Josh Brolin. The story was actually quite interesting, but the execution just didn’t work.
It came off really cheap and way too contemporary styled to sell the Western feel. (Much like the ill fated campy “Wild Wild West” with Will Smith)

6. SpawnHBO had an excellent animated series based on the gritty comic, I loved that and it made me excited for this live action adaptation. But as with other ultra violent comics, mainstream can never translate them well so it came off pretty cheesy compared to what it should have been. (similar to “Punisher”)

5. CatwomanThis film was built on the fact that Catwoman and Halle Berry are sexy. And, that’s pretty much it. The other components of making a good film were totally missing with it’s flimsy storyline which basically amounted to a few sexed up poses and dozens of un-witty one liners. A cliched love story, an unbelievable villain and some actually uneventful fight scenes. At a point I did try to like this movie, but it truly is just a throwaway.

4. Batman Forever
Joel Schumacher all but ruined the “Batman” franchise Tim Burton rejuvenated. Instead of continuing on the darker, grittier path that Burton set up, Schumacher’s Gotham City was turned into an ultra cheesy, way too colorful, and overloaded Batman chapter. And the sad thing is, he wasn’t done as we’ll see soon enough.

3. Green Lantern
Cheesy graphics, a paint by number cliched script, actors that either phoned it in or just wouldn’t know the words “natural” or “chemistry” if it hit them on the head. Just an awful movie that really had no redeeming qualities at all.

2. Batman and Robin
Yes, “Batman Forever” was bad… but compared to this mess of a movie it looks like “Citizen Kane” (okay that’s going too far, maybe something like “Die Hard 4”). Not only are there way too many villains in this one, but they are third rate villains that most people (unless you were watching the animated Batman series of the time) wouldn’t have known. This film killed the Batman franchise for a while before Christopher Nolan dared to pick it back up. Awful!

1. Daredevil
Let’s see, where to start? This movie was so incredibly bad on so many different levels I don’t even know how to begin. What stands out the most is the awful CGI, than we have to think of the D.O.A. acting job of the consistently bland lead Ben Affleck. And, bottom line, it was just dumb! Boring! Not fun or funny! Absolutely no good qualities at all (maybe Colin Farrell, but there’s only so much one actor can do in a movie like this), not only is this my worst Comic Book Movie… but it ranks as one of my Worst Movies of All Time!

>>The Best!
So clearly, these are the few that actually got it right!

10. Batman Returns
Tim Burton’s dark “Batman” was revolutionary, and even though this sequel was just a skoche lighter, it still maintained the gritty world invented in the first film. This script was surprisingly original and new, with very interesting origin stories for the main villains. On top of that, the film was perfectly cast which is probably the main selling point. Danny DeVito was perfect as the creepy Penguin and Michelle Pfieffer treaded the line perfectly from a mouse-y secretary to a sexy fearless (sort of) villain. Christopher Walken’s role is also a great component to make this film worthy of the top 10

9. Thor
I think of Thor as an extremely complicated story to put on the screen. Where this could have fallen apart totally, the team really did their best to make it flow well and get a lot of information out without slowing down the overall feel of the movie. Add great acting as a selling point, in fact some of the stuff that hit the cutting room floor actually proves how good of an effort this was. It combines a mythological world with a scientific world and the real world effortlessly. And there’s no way they could have cast a better leading man as Hemsworth owned this role.
8. The Dark Knight
I had deemed this movie overrated when it was ridiculously hyped upon release, and I still think the last half hour was a mess … but the rest of the movie is undeniably flawless. Visually it’s dark, but still stunning. The writing is very clever and well thought out, and who can deny Heath Ledger’s spine chillingly scary Joker. It’s not the perfect film Fan Boys would like us to believe, but for what it does get right it is pretty frikkin phenomenal.
7. Iron Man
An atypically adult and mature super hero film. There’s actually not a lot of action as compared to the films running time, but what you get is real fleshed out characters dealing with very real (okay, let your imagination run wild a little bit) situations that are relevant in the real world. And Robert Downey Jr is flawless as the rich boy you want to hate but can’t help but love.

6. Superman
Classic! It’s one of the first big budget comic book movies to really be taken seriously. The effects were good for the time, but luckily they didn’t over-use them because the movie really does still stand up some 30 years later. Richard Donner’s Superman has lots of heart, great casting, and just overall a lot fun. Like what a Comic Book is supposed to be.

5. Captain America
Much like “Thor” (and frankly all of the films leading up to the avengers), “Captain America” had so much plot and character details to get through you’d think it would totally fall apart. However this film has almost a perfect balance of action, drama, character development, humor and intensity.

4. X2
X-men is such a great comic book series, it’s really a shame that most of the film adaptations thus far have been a little lack luster. With the big exception of “X2”, which totally grabbed viewers with the intense and non stop opening scene. By the very suspenseful and climactic end, you feel the film might have been too short. What this film had the other two lacked was that this was all about the action.

3. Batman
This is actually my favorite movie of All Time, simply because director Tim Burton took a totally new approach to the comic book genre. Flipping the corny Batman TV series of the 60’s and turning into a supremely dark and edgy suspense filled thriller with lots of humor with great visuals. This movie really, in my mind, changed the landscape of the comic book flicks and should be celebrated for taking a risk and setting a new trend.

2. Spiderman 2
1. Spiderman

The first two Spiderman movies make the top of my list because I think Sam Raimi and company did the best job of really bringing the comic book feeling to the big screen to life. There’s a certain life to both films that resembles that of an actual comic book, plus some of the visual techniques look like a comic book page re-created. Add to that it’s a fast paced, funny movie with some more than capable actors.

Happy Monday!
Some of you might be wondering… “What the hell happened to the Top 10 Songs this past Friday?” Well as “MDNA Week” begins today, last week was “Midterm” week with so many papers due and tests to study for. By Friday, I was spent… I did a rough draft of seven songs but when I got home I didn’t even log onto the computer before falling off to sleep. So sorry for the wait, but it’s cool because I can add a few songs I was loving (and rather embarrassed that I couldn’t get out of my head) over the weekend.

10. Madonna “Girl Gone Wild”
still not going crazy over the song, but the video that came out last week is pretty amazing. sexy, visually stunning, good dancing, and Madge looks great. definitely brought a new dimension to the song, which is still a very basic output. (get ready for “MDNA Week!”)

9. Beyonce “Dreamgirls”
How did I get Here? I forget now, but one song led to another which led to another and somehow I landed on the “Dreamgirls” movie soundtrack and this was one of the highlights. The scene is so pretty, and Beyonce’s err Deena’s spin towards the end gives me life every time.

8.(tie) Jason Segel & Walter “Man or Muppet”/ Amy Adams & Miss Piggy “Me Party”
Yes! I Went There. So I’m a kid of the 80’s so The Muppets were like my heroes, so when the recent movie “The Muppets” was released for rent I had to see it. And these two campy, cheesy and hilarious songs stuck in my head for the whole weekend. I still have “I’m a Muppety Man” replaying in my mind.

7. Bob Marley & The Wailers “War”
First line: “Until the philosophy which hold one race superior, and another inferior, Is Finally and Permanently Discredited and Abandoned, Everywhere is War!” … enough said! #TrayvonMartin

6. Jennifer Hudson “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”
Did Jennifer sing the Hell out of this song!!?? Yes she did!!! After not seeing the movie or hearing the soundtrack for a minute, I came back to this and was as impressed as when I heard it the first time. She did a phenomenal job.

5. Sleigh Bells “End of the Line”
I BOUGHT an album this weekend (well two! thanks Sopa! *laugh), this had been on my wish list for a while and I JUST finished it, but this song was an early stand out. It’s so peaceful, but still has those heavy and intense synths that the Bells are known for now. Could this be a single that makes top 40!? Who cares, but it’s an awesome song.
(you’ll have to settle for a live clip.)

4. M.I.A. “Bird Flu”
This track is so… different! I can’t really even explain what it is that I love about it, but it’s definitely something a little off-kilter but I can still dance my butt off to it.

3. Barrington Levy “Sensimella”
Last week, I was trying to find “new/old” music from some Reggae legends. Along with Barrington I grabbed some Steel Pulse, Aswad and Black Uhuru. This song, among a few from Barrington’s “Poor Man Style” album, stuck with me.

2. Major Lazer feat. The Partysquad “Original Don”
When I first grabbed this track, I was kind of like “wtf!?”… but it’s catchy so I kept going back to it. Now I pretty much love it. Yeah sometimes it gets a little exhausting, but I love this mix of Dancehall and what I’ve been told is called HardStyle. Fun song.

1. Usher “Climax”
Usher is really out to make sure his seat as King of R&B is still his. And this song can easily do it. It’s a bit of elevated R&B, a really strange but simple track by Diplo with some great lyrics and some standard flawless and very much alive vocals by Mr. Raymond. Can’t wait to see what else is on this forthcoming album, because this song is pure gold. (And I also really love the video!)